Chinggis Khan is one of the main figures in Mongolian history. Contrary to what many may believe, he was not put into power due to heritage or being a successor to the throne. Instead, he was elected to position from a small pool of candidates. This is similar to our elections here in America, where the candidate gets chosen by a small group of people that are part of the electoral college.

This shows how the electoral college isn’t something new, or something America made up. Instead it has been part of the government system for hundreds of years. It is more regulating and works better, as it is a small group of people instead of every single citizen. This is especially true for such a large empire like the Mongol Empire that is constantly growing and moving.

It may also seem unfair, as it does not ensure the 1:1 ratio. It doesn’t ensure that everyone’s voice is heard, which is extremely difficult for those who are in extreme poverty both in the Mongol Empire as well as America today.

The image above shows how after being named emperor, Khan was considered the most important person when present. Despite that, he still had advisors and ‘helpers’ to guide and provide help when needed. Similar to that, the President has the Cabinet, Congress, and the Vice President to help and guide him as President.

While it is not certain whether Chinggis Khan was popular or not, in the end, he was given the throne due to him being chosen by the small pool of candidates. This election as well as all of the elections in the past are similar, because the end result was given after a select pool of candidates voted. While Donald Trump did not win the popular vote, he did win the electoral vote, naming him President in the end.

These sources raise the issue of each person getting a voice in the government. In the Mongol Empire, only a small select group was able to choose who became emperor. This group could have been majority wealthy land owners, or majority male, or close to the past emperor. This does not represent everyone which should be alarming to many Minnesotans, because if they voted for Clinton, they will still have to face a Trump Presidency even though, Clinton won the popular vote.

Sources:

May, Timothy Michael. The Mongol Conquests in World History. London: Reaktion, 2012. Print.